Monday, July 20, 2009

Ernst Haeckel

Oh my stars! I have never seen color the likes of these lithographs by the late, Ernst Haeckel, (philosopher, professor, physician, naturalist, biologist and artist) who created this series of work for his book, Art Forms in Nature in 1899. There is a fantastic brief history of his life and work at Scienceray.com. (via NotCot).







Haekel (left) with his then assistant, Nicholai Miklukho-Maklai on the Canary Islands, 1866.
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10 comments:

  1. Hi Octane JewelryJuly 20, 2009 at 11:52 PM

    I have this book and just love the organic shapes in it...
    Wonderful..

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  2. kadlerJuly 21, 2009 at 8:04 AM

    These are such gorgeous illustrations! Great find.

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  3. knackJuly 21, 2009 at 9:38 AM

    WOW!! You are so right....the color is fantastic! xo

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  4. orange sugar homeJuly 21, 2009 at 12:35 PM

    that photo of him is incredible. what a real adventurer and scientist!! his works are extraordinary. thanks for the intro.

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  5. Cindy PestkaJuly 21, 2009 at 1:50 PM

    I have seen this book and it is beyond fabulous. It's HUGE both in terms of actual size and creativity. I couldn't tell what creatures were real and which were figments of his very fertile imagination.

    A friend of mine has this book and keeps it on a vintage bible stand so it's always prominently displayed. I would love to own a copy someday, although I fear I would be constantly tempted to take scissors to some of the pages to liberate images for my collages.

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  6. spilling beautyJuly 21, 2009 at 3:19 PM

    how incredible..i love old botany illustrations..and these are some of the prettiest i've ever seen!
    i think seeing your post was just the boost i needed to get my creative juices flowing again.
    xo

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  7. Julie Whitmore PotteryJuly 21, 2009 at 9:34 PM

    Look at that butterfly/fish net, with the handle that seems to be cut from a walnut tree and trimmed of its secondary branches. It's so long. His work has a real other worldly quality. Love those murky backgrounds that look just like the sea underwater.
    julie

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  8. Mrs. MJuly 22, 2009 at 12:02 PM

    Katie- those sea life lithographs would be perfect for a subtle sea theme...they are pretty great. Thanks for the blog comment! I took a little hiatus from facebook! Come visit Rhode Island any time- our door is open! XOXO, Allie

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  9. faroucheJuly 22, 2009 at 4:25 PM

    These are amazing!

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  10. UnknownJuly 27, 2009 at 4:42 AM

    i have a book of some of his work but it's only in black and white... :( but the detail is still fascinating!

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